Russia has announced plans to close German cultural centres in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in retaliation for measures imposed by Berlin after Germany accused Moscow of orchestrating an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the closures on Thursday, shortly after Germany ordered the shutdown of the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin and the Russian Consulate in Bonn.
The diplomatic confrontation follows an August 4 incident in which an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
German authorities later concluded that Russia was responsible, citing security investigations, the nature of the operation and intelligence findings. The device was defused before it could cause damage.
Leipzig/Halle is a major European cargo hub and has been used to support Ukraine, making the incident particularly sensitive amid Russia’s ongoing war against the country.
Moscow has rejected Berlin’s accusations. President Vladimir Putin has accused Germany of fabricating or planting evidence to implicate Russia, while the Kremlin has dismissed Berlin’s response as unjustified.
The latest dispute adds to growing tensions between Russia and Germany, with Western governments increasingly accusing Moscow of conducting sabotage and other hybrid operations across Europe aimed at undermining support for Ukraine.
The European Union is also weighing further measures. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has pushed for additional sanctions, travel restrictions and asset freezes against individuals and entities linked to Russia, following discussions among European foreign ministers.
Germany, meanwhile, has warned that it will continue strengthening its security measures and supporting Ukraine despite what it describes as an intensifying Russian hybrid campaign.
Russia’s decision to shut the Goethe-Institut centres marks another sharp deterioration in cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries, turning a dispute over an alleged airport attack into a wider confrontation involving diplomatic missions, cultural institutions and possible new European sanctions.
